Former Ocean County Doctor Charged with Practicing Medicine without a LicenseDetectives with the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit Executed Search Warrant at Ocean County Medical Care Center

TRENTON – Acting Attorney General John J. Hoffman announced that detectives with the Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor, Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU) executed a search warrant at an Ocean County medical clinic this morning and charged a former doctor with practicing medicine without a license.

Detectives with the MFCU executed a search warrant at Integrated Medical Care Center (a.k.a. Doctor’s Care General Practice), located at 803 Main Street in Toms River, and charged Ranvir Ahlawat, MD, 49, of Toms River by complaint with one count of third-degree unlicensed practice of medicine. Ahlawat was the owner of the facility, along with his wife, Carmen Perez, an advanced nurse practitioner.

On February 10, 2010, Ahlawat’s medical license was revoked by the New Jersey State Board of Medical Examiners. With his license revoked, Ahlawat was forbidden from providing professional medical opinions or representing himself as being eligible to practice medicine. He was also prohibited from occupying, sharing or using office space with any health care licensee. An investigation by the MFCU determined that Ahlawat allegedly continued to use the offices of Integrated Medical Care Center after his license was revoked. MFCU’s investigation determined that Ahlawat allegedly continued to collaborate with Perez with respect to patient care even though his license had been revoked. The investigation remains ongoing.

The charge is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty. Third-degree charges carry a maximum sentence of five years in state prison and a criminal fine of up to $15,000. Because the charge is an indictable offense, it will be presented to a grand jury for potential indictment.

Acting Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Ronald Chillemi noted that some important cases have started with anonymous tips. People who are concerned about insurance cheating and have information about a fraud can report it anonymously by calling the toll-free hotline at1-877-55-FRAUD, or visiting the Web site at NJInsurancefraud.org. State regulations permit a reward to be paid to an eligible person who provides information that leads to an arrest, prosecution and conviction for insurance fraud.